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Ivorian authorities should promptly surrender Simone Gbagbo, wife of the former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, to the International Criminal Court (ICC). ICC judges ruled on December 11, 2014, that the court had the authority to hear the case against her. The ICC has charged Simone Gbagbo with four counts of crimes against humanity in relation to the deadly violence that followed Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010 presidential election.

Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will begin hearing evidence to determine whether to confirm charges in the case against Charles Blé Goudé, a close ally of the former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.

The June 12, 2014 decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) by a majority of judges in the case of former Côte d’Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo should remind those in positions of power that they are not immune from justice. A majority of Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed the charges of crimes against humanity against Gbagbo and moved the case to trial.

The Ivorian government took an important step in supporting accountability for the country’s postelection atrocities by renewing the mandate of the special unit investigating those crimes. The government now needs to ensure adequate staffing, security, and independence for the body to carry out robust investigations.

Human Rights Watch welcomes the willingness of the government of Côte d’Ivoire to renew the Independent Expert’s mandate, demonstrating its commitment to improve the country’s human rights situation and to implement the Independent Expert’s recommendations. The Independent Expert has repeatedly stressed that impartial justice is essential to end the country’s decade-long human rights crisis.

The Ivorian government has not yet delivered on its promises of impartial accountability for the serious international crimes from the 2010-2011 post-election crisis, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should step up support to judges and prosecutors handling these cases so that victims from both sides can finally see justice.